Updating a Project Plan

Overview
The Project Board uses the Project Plan throughout the project to measure overall progress. As stages are completed or planned in detail the Project Plan must be updated to reflect the latest understanding of the project, and to allow the Project Board to revise its expectations.

Context
The Project Plan is updated based on three documents; the Stage Plan for the stage that is finishing, the Next Stage Plan, and any Exception Plan triggered by Escalating Project Issues. Actuals are taken from the first and the forecast duration and costs from the last two.

Process Description
The Project Quality Plan and Project Approach are re-assessed and refined to reflect the current understanding of the project, and to form a basis for updating the Project Plan.

The Project Plan is updated based on the actual costs and schedule from a completed Stage or Exception Plan, the new detail of activities and costs from the Next Stage Plan (unless there is no next Stage or Exception Plan) and any acquired knowledge about the project. The last might be information about changes which have been agreed by the Project Board and which will cause activities in the Next Stage Plan. The Project Manager should describe in the End Stage Report (or Exception Report) why any change to the Project Plan has occurred.

Responsibilities
The Project Manager is responsible, assisted by project support, and the work checked out by those with project assurance responsibility.

Information Needs

Management information	Usage	Explanation
Current Stage Plan	Input	The results of the current stage may affect the project planning
Next Stage Plan	Input	The extra detail in the Stage Plan may reveal the need to modify the Project Plan
Project Approach	Update	Events may have occurred which modify the approach
Project Quality Plan	Update	Quality results so far may show the need to adjust the Plan
Project Plan	Update	Revised in the light of the actuals from the current stage and the forecast of the Next Stage Plan. Also updated to reflect any changed or extra products sanctioned by the Project Board

Key Criteria

	How reliable are the figures for cost and schedule for the stage just completing? (Especially if fed information from Team Plans.)
	How do the results of the stage impact the Project Plan?
	How does the Next Stage Plan impact the Project Plan, Business Case and risks?
	Did any other information come out of the last stage that will impact later stages of the project?